The invention relates generally to parking lots, and more particularly, to a parking lot information system that uses image technology to identify available parking spaces and provide information on the parking lot to local and remote customers.
Parking lots (or parking garages) have been used for years at various locations, ranging from shopping malls to airports. A typical parking lot remains basically the same over the years. A customer generally receives a ticket with a timestamp at a parking lot entrance or an electronic toll tag attached to the car is read by a tag reader when the car enters the parking lot. The customer then often drive by rows of parked cars in the parking lot to find an available parking space. When the customer later returns to the parking lot to retrieve the car, the customer would need to find the original parking space where the car was parked. As the customer exits through a gate of the parking lot, the customer presents the parking ticket to a parking lot attendant to pay for the parking duration, or an automated reader reads the electronic toll tag of the car and charges the customer for the parking.
Customers often have a difficult time in finding available parking spaces in parking lots, especially if the parking lots are relatively large or almost full. In addition, a customer may not remember exactly where the car was parked and may need to pay the maximum parking fees if the customer loses the parking ticket.